Player Ratings - Luton 1-2 QPR

Luton Town are still searching for their first win of the 24/25 EFL Championship campaign, after they were left stunned by a second-half QPR comeback at Kenilworth Road.

Nicolas Madsen puts QPR level at Kenilworth Road.

The Hatters dominated the majority of the first half and hit the front in the 18th minute, when Jimmy Dunne bundled the ball into his own net, not for the first time in his career as he was reminded by the Kenilworth Road faithful. Rob Edwards’ side looked to be in complete control of the contest, and should’ve extended their advantage just after the break, but Elijah Adebayo was unable to convert after Shandon Baptiste’s inch perfect through ball. Then came the three minutes of madness. First, Mark McGuinness was spun far too easily by the impressive Michael Frey, who teed up Nicolas Madsen to level the scores, before Frey himself volleyed home at the back post two minutes later.

The Town had gone from having complete control of the game, to looking devoid of ideas, on and off the pitch. Rob Edwards has earned himself a lot of leeway during his time as Luton Town manager, but he can no longer be protected from criticism. He didn’t have the answers as soon as the Hatters fell behind in the game, and his substitutions made the side disjointed. Luton have forgotten how to win football games, with just one victory since the start of February, and that is a dangerous place to find yourself in a league as unforgiving as the Championship.

player ratings

Kaminski - 5.5

Could do very little about the two goals, and his goal faced almost no threat apart from that.

Walters - 6

Was one of the standout performers once again for a lacklustre Luton Town side. Showed great energy and enthusiasm going both ways, and will look to make that right wing back spot his own after the departure of Ogbene this week.

Burke- 5

Seemingly its yet another injury for the unfortunate defender. He can be so good when he is fit, arguably one of the best centre backs at the club, but he is fully fit so rarely that it is getting ridiculous now. Burke was solid for the 45 minutes he played.

McGuinness - 4.5

Was having an extremely good game in the centre of the Town defence, dealing well with Frey, until the goal that is. The centre back found himself in trouble after he got pinned by the big centre forward, and was unable to recover as QPR levelled the scores. Will be disappointed with himself for his part in the Luton collapse in the second half.

Bell - 4.5

Similar to the rest of the Luton side, was having a very solid game, until the three minutes of madness. The Hatters seemed to lose all composure as soon as the West London side equalised, and there was a lack of leaders in the team to step up and take control.

Doughty - 5.5

Has come under a lot of criticism in recent weeks, but he showed his quality in the first half, looking defensively solid and whipping in a superb ball that Adebayo couldn’t connect with. Partly to blame for the second goal, but cannot take all the stick as he had to deal with three men at the back post, as the Town defence was in dissaray.

Baptiste - 6 (Man of the Match)

Once again looked to be one of the only sources of creativity in the Luton ranks, and played a big part as the Town went ahead, putting in a delicious ball that lead to Dunne’s own goal. He should’ve had an assist in the second half, when he played a perfectly weighted ball to Adebayo, but the striker couldn’t convert the chance.

Clark - 5

As always, a hardworking performance from the midfielder, but it was one that really lacked end product. Clark found himself in dangerous positions a good few times, but failed to deliver the right ball.

Chong - 4.5

Threatened to take control of the game in the first half, combining well with Doughty down the left hand side, but faded throughout the game, unable to show his quality.

Adebayo - 4.5

Worked hard as always, and linked the play well at times, but missed the huge chance to put the game beyond QPR’s reach. Elijah has now missed seven big chances this season, and really needs to start converting these opportunities as it is starting to cost the Hatters.

Morris - 4

The captain looks a yard off it at the moment. His touch is poor and even when he cut inside in the final moments, the decisive finishing we’ve come to love was missing. Clearly he’s not comfortable out on the wing, and something needs to change.

Mengi - 4.5

Came into the backline at half time, and showed his usual strength and speed at times. However, his mistake for the first goal cannot be ignored, and he played a part in the defensive meltdown that ensued.

Walsh - 4.5

Unable to impact the game in the closing moments.

Taylor - 4.5

Missed a huge chance right at the death, but it is slightly unfair to expect him to make a difference in just 15 minutes.